NTR Nagar Review

Director Babji has an easy solution for all those who want to populate their films with as many stars as possible but don't know how to get their dates: why opt for the stars when there are dupestars, or rather dupesters, available in plenty? NTR Nagar is not just about dupe stars but also about dupesters who make money from gullible people who come to Hyderabad aspiring to be stars, with stars in their eyes.

One such guy, Tanikella Bharani, hooks in gullible youngsters who throng the studios for a chance. Caught in his net are four look-alikes of top heroes - Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh and Balakrishna - who, like many other innocent people, pay him Rs 10,000 each for a 'fabulous' role that would give them a chance to prove their histrionics.

Realising soon that they have been taken for a ride, and with their independent efforts not making any headway either, they beat up Tanikella Bharani while the latter is up to his usual tricks with other aspirants. Thinking that he is dead they flee the city to a village in Rayalaseema where the people believe that they are the real stars.

Having a chance to bask in the glory of stardom for once, they too pretend as if they are stars. All goes well, and the foursome fall in love with the local doctor Manichandana. But Manichandana is bothered about the factionalism that is taking the toll on the villagers and on the development of the village. So the foursome decide to reform the villagers and see that there is progress in the village on all fronts.

A rather idealistic notion, and in reality it doesn't work. For no one is too naïve to take the dupe stars for the real stars. Only when they are with their goggles on do they resemble the stars - without glasses they look like nobodies. But the director thinks that the people and the audiences in the theaters are fools. So be it. Even if you acquit them on this front, there are too many holes in the script for the film to make any sense.

The only redeeming feature is that the dupe stars manage to ditto the mannerisms of the real stars. Especially the dupe Venkatesh's acting is a photocopy of the original. And so is that of Nagarjuna's. Balakrishna's dupe is okay, but Rajkumar as Chiranjeevi doesn't suit the role.